Book Review: Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears

Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears, a mystery by Randall Peffer: the title and the cover were intriguing.

Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears by Randall Peffer

Setting: The characters, escaping to protect a priceless ruby from getting into the wrong hands, don various disguises on a train from Bangkok into Malaysia and then on a boat to Singapore. And if you check the title, you'll see that the action also moves to Cape Cod, Mass., by plane, of course. The novel includes some violence, and has transgender themes. The writing is fast paced but often poetic, and the mystery plot engaging, much of it character driven.

Publisher's description:
" When Michael Decastro gets an email from Tuki, his long-gone client, the lady of ten thousand mysteries, he doesn't hesitate a moment. He heads to Bangkok to find... what? He doesn't know. To face what dangers? He hasn't imagined. All he knows is that she's beckoned, and he can't resist her call.

Ane now face to face with Tuki and a ruby so beautiful it has its own name, Michael must make a choice: moe forward to protect Tuki, get to the bottom of her involvement with the nak lin ( cruel Thai gangsters) and see that she's safe, or run back to his father's fishing boat, hiding from the ills of the world beneath a watchcap and a raincoat.

Fooolhardy, compassionate Michael hardly has to think..."

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The first novel in the series - Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues, was nominated for the Lambda Award.

Submitted to (2009 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

Book Review: Lizzi & Fredl, A Perilous Journey of Love and Faith

Lizzi and Fredl is a detailed and touching memoir and history recorded by William B. Stanford of California, who wrote down and compiled information from his parents, Lizzi and Fredl Steiner about their lives before, during, and after WWII.

The couple left their home in Austria in 1938 to escape the encroaching threat of Nazism, only to find themselves in danger in France, the country where they had sought refuge. Lizzi and Fredl barely escaped with their lives and only much later revealed their full stories to their son, William Stanford.

The publisher's description:

"Twenty-seven-year-old Fredl is an accomplished master jeweler, while twenty-six-year-old Lizzi is a professional dressmaker. When Fredl receives papers ordering him to Munich, Germany, to serve the Nazis in their war preparations, the couple knows they have no choice: they must leave Austria. As Hitler and his troops gain force in their homeland and annex Austria, Lizzi and Fredl endure a harrowing flight to France, uncertain whether they will ever see their country again.

But France holds no safety for them. Fredl is captured by French Nazi sympathizers and must outwit his captors to survive in Vichy-controlled concentration and labor camps. Separated from Fredl, Lizzi evades arrest and relies on her guile and chutzpah to search for her beloved husband.

What follows is an incredible seven-year odyssey filled with danger and endurance. From their long, arduous journey to Paris to Fredl's unbelievable rescue from a train bound for a Nazi death camp, Lizzi and Fredl delivers a remarkable true story of courage, faith, and overwhelming love."

A news release from Kelley & Hall clarifies further the book's historical significance and the efforts that went into its writing:

"Awarded both Editor's Choice and Publisher's Choice by iUniverse, Lizzi & Fredl is a story elucidating that France had concentration, internment and labor camps thought mostly to exist in Germany. This memoir is also a love story of unconditional devotion and resilience between a happily married couple whose lives were disrupted by a seven-year nightmare. It took many years for Dr. Stanford to get his parents to share their stories, and once they did, it was apparent to him that they had not even revealed their individual horrors to each other over the years.... Lizzi & Fredl delivers a remarkable true story of courage, faith, and overwhelming love."

Publisher: IUniverse (April 17, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0595433111
ISBN-13: 978-0595433117

Book received from the author for my objective review.

Lucky Dollar Finds: Aug. 9

Ronnie: The Autobiography by Ronnie Wood

My Lucky Dollar Finds this week include the biography of Ronnie Wood, guitarist and member of The Rolling Stones band for over 30 years. (This book goes to my son, the music lover).

Publisher's description: " A fascinating portrait not just of the Stones but of the greatest rockers of the 1960s and beyond - from Eric Clapton to Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page to Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix to Pete Townshend - Ronnie is a rich revelatory book." St. Martin's Press, 2007.


The People's Princess: Cherished Memories of Diana, Princess of Wales, From Those Who Knew Her Best by talk-show host Larry King is a collection of essays, published on the tenth anniversary of Diana's death, 2007. (This book goes to my sister-in-law, who loves Diana books). Publishers Weekly says at least three of the essays were written by people who never met the princess. One Amazon reviewer says the book should have been titled "From Those Who Met Her." British actress Joan Collins is one of the contributors.


Three Sisters (Charlie Moon Mysteries" by James D. Doss.

Colorado Ute rancher and tribal investigator Charlie Moon and his aunt Daisy, a Ute shaman, combine their talents to help find the killer of one of three sisters, daughter of a wealthy rancher. This mystery-thriller is number 12 in the series. St. Martin's Press, 2007. (This book is for me, a mystery lover).

What books have you been lucky enough to find for $1?

Book Review: Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid three and a half to four stars. I liked the idea of magazine writers in a novel trying to figure out a crime as if they were writing it as fiction.

The main character, the mysterious Mr. Loogan, arrives in the university town of Ann Arbor, Mich. and tries his hand at writing stories for the local magazine, Grey Streets. He is "discovered" and hired as an editor for the magazine by publisher Tom Kristoll. Later, when Tom's apparent suicide turns out to be murder, Mr. Loogan becomes involved.

Loogan bowed his head and his eyes were lost in shadows. "If this were a story in Gray Streets, I'd catch the killer myself. It would be my responsibility."

"This isn't a story in Gray Streets, Mr. Loogan.

(from Ch. 9 of the Advance Readers Copy, which may differ from the final printed version of the novel.)

Lots of twists to this mystery plot, with several more murders, plus an affair between Loogan and Tom's wife Laura that began before Tom's death. The plot is not predictable, a sign I think of a good mystery.

The spare prose throughout reminded me of Hemingway, though there is a lot of dialogue and the book I think is longer than any of Hemingway's.

I would describe the book as a mystery written as literary fiction. Two good reasons to like it.


Advance readers copy received from the publisher for my objective review.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, review

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Published July 28, 2009; Knopf
Genre: thriller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you liked Lisbeth Salander, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you have a chance to see her again in the sequel by Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played With Fire.

From the publisher's description:

"Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander - the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire."

Blomkvist is reluctant to believe Lisbeth guilty of these murders. After all, he and Lisbeth went back a long way, taking part in a manhunt for a serial killer, a story told in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

"During the manhunt he had met Salander. Blomkvist unconsciously stoked the faint scar that the noose had left beneath his left ear. Salander had not only helped him to track down the killer - she had saved his life."

Read the books in order if you can. Characters in the first book show up again in the second novel, and understanding who they are and how they relate to Lisbeth makes it easier to follow The Girl Who Played With Fire.

In the sequel Blomkvist and Lisbeth are together once again on the trail of murderers. The past comes back to haunt Lisbeth and seriously threaten her life. The ending chapters are stunning - a great thriller.

Book provided by the publisher for my objective review.

Interview: John Shors, author of Dragon House

Dragon House has been described as a "moving, deeply descriptive novel that brings all those frequently hidden qualities of compassion, purity of mind, and, yes, love—the things we used to call the human spirit—into the foreground of our feeling as readers." (author Gregory David Roberts)

Here's what John Shors, author of Dragon House, has to say about the plight of street children in contemporary Vietnam.

Interview with John Shors

1. What first drew you to the history of the Vietnam War and to visit Vietnam?

I lived in Asia for several years, and was in close proximity to Vietnam. Of course, the country's history had always fascinated me. I had heard both sides of the arguement regarding U.S. involvement in the war there, and was interested in coming to my own conclusions. I continue to think that Vietnam is one of the most interesting countries in the world.

2. Were there specific street children that impressed you during your trips?

I spent many nights in Thailand playing Connect Four with a boy who in some ways inspired one of my characters in Dragon House. This boy was remarkable--smart, brave, and hard-working. I met hundreds of street children in Asia, and had wonderful conversations and interactions with them. I couldn't have been more impressed with the tenacity of these children.

3. What other Asian countries are featured in your novels? Did you travel extensively in those areas as well?

My first novel, Beneath a Marble Sky, is based on the story behind the creation of the Taj Mahal. I spent a month in India researching it. My second novel, Beside a Burning Sea, is set in The South Pacific during WWII, and again, I spent about a month in that area. My fourth novel, which I'm currently working on, occurs in seven countries in Asia, all of which I've spent a fair amount of time in and know well. In order for me to bring a place to life on the page, I need to have experienced it firsthand. Some writers don't work that way, but it's necessary for me.

4. Do you plan a follow-up novel to this one in Vietnam, or are you moving on to other locales?

Well, my fourth novel, which is called The Wishing Trees and will come out in September of 2010, takes place in Japan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Egypt. It's a lot of fun for me to bring these places and cultures to life in my novels.

5. Anything else you would like to add?

I am grateful for the support of my readers, and I try to share that support with others. With regard to Dragon House, I am donating some of my royalties to an organization that supports homeless children. If anyone would like more information on Dragon House, please visit www.dragonhousebook.com

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, John!

(See my Review of Dragon House here or in the post below). The book will be released Sept. 1, 2009.

Book Review: Dragon House by John Shors

Dragon House by John Shors:


Overview

I saw this exceptional novel as a story of redemption - a daughter promising her father to help heal some of the wounds left by a long, protracted war and a depressed and scarred Iraqi War veteran rescued from self destruction. Both travel to Vietnam to help street children.

I found the stories of people helping each other to heal, physically and mentally, very moving, and the conditions of abandoned street children heartrending. Shors' writing and descriptions of the Vietnamese environment are sharp, clear, and vivid.

Summary
In "Dragon House," two Vietnamese street children, forced into a life of begging by an opium addict, are befriended by the young American woman in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon.

The American woman, Iris, has promised her dying father, a Vietnam veteran - to finish his dream of opening a center for homeless children. She takes with her to Vietnam a crippled Iraq War veteran, Noah Woods, who is suffering from physical and mental war wounds and about to give up on life. It takes some time for both to adjust to living in this very foreign city, but together they manage to navigate the pitfalls and obstacles to opening the Tam Tran Center for Street Children and meet people whom they help and who help them in turn.

Some of the characters include Minh and Mai, children who sleep in a basket underneath a bridge at night, and are forced to beg during the day. Qiu, a old grandmother struggles to help her terminally ill granddaughter. Sahn the policeman tries to enforce the law though suspicious of the activities of Iris and Noah, and their Vietnamese helper Thien.

John Shors on his travels and experience with street children:

"I spent many nights in Thailand playing Connect Four with a boy who in some ways inspired one of my characters in Dragon House. This boy was remarkable--smart, brave, and hard-working. I met hundreds of street children in Asia, and had wonderful conversations and interactions with them. I couldn't have been more impressed with the tenacity of these children."

The author's plan is to donate a portion of the proceeds from "Dragon House" to the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in Vietnam, a support organization for children "in crisis" which also helps children get into school and away from life on the streets. Many thanks to the author for the opportunity of reviewing "Dragon House".

Publisher: NAL Trade, available September 1, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451227859
ISBN-13: 978-0451227850

(See my Interview with John Shors here or in the following post.)